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International Travel Group Meeting - Sunday November 3rd at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time

We welcome everyone no matter where you live, so if you like to talk about travel please join us. Each meeting there will be topics to discuss. One topic focus on a country or large city. Please make suggestions of future places in Europe you may want to talk about. It could be a destination you are going to or considering, or even a place that you have a lot of knowledge of and would like to share with others.

We are still traveling and may not have wifi for the next week, so I’m posting this early. I may have minimal opportunities to monitor this post. We arrive home the night before the meeting so I take no responsibility for how out of it I am. :-) Please don’t forget that the meeting is the day we change back to standard time so don’t forget to change your clocks.

Topics for this month:

  • London
  • Food - What foods and drinks do you seek out in different countries and regions? What did you like and dislike?

Let me know in a reply to this post or with a PM if you are interested in joining us. If you have participated previously I already have your email address. If you haven’t you will need to send it to me in a PM. If you fail to provide me with the email address I will not have time to request it from you.

I will be emailing the Zoom link an hour or two before the meeting begins.
If you have told me you want to attend and then find out you can’t make it I would appreciate you letting me know.
Ideas for future meetings are welcome and can be brought up during the meeting, or you can PM me if you prefer.

Future meetings will be -

Sunday, December 1
Sunday, January 5.

Posted by
7966 posts

London and food! My two favorite topics—thanks, Andrea! I'll be there!

Posted by
1997 posts

I'm so disappointed to miss ya'll. I love London. However, I will be going to a memorial service for a dear friend. I'll definitely try to make December. Safe travels home.

Posted by
3479 posts

Another London-lover here.
Not a “foodie”, but I do like to find the best coffee while traveling.
Add me in please, and enjoy the rest of your trip, Andrea.

Posted by
4254 posts

Count me in! I’m not a foodie but do eat everyday, lol. And London is always a great topic.
Can’t wait to hear about your trip.

Posted by
1631 posts

I'm pretty sure I can make this one. Hurrah!

Posted by
5362 posts

Can't make this one, bummed since I lived in London, was just there and am headed back.

Ah well, I'll be on my way towards Spain!

Posted by
2766 posts

I will just be back from Pittsburgh, so a bit less jet-lagged than you; thanks for putting this together.

I will restrain myself from ranting about doner kabob and pizza while traveling. Probably.

Posted by
1418 posts

Please add me Andrea, although I’m not sure how my Internet connection will be at my new address. I’m moving on November 1st.

Posted by
508 posts

I would like to join too. Sept. was the first time I came, and so I have been but only once but I think you have my email.

Posted by
10597 posts

Hi, we have had a very busy 6 weeks in Europe so far and I haven’t had much time for the forum. We arrived in Paris yesterday evening and we have a lot of plans before we fly home in the 2nd. I would like to remind everyone, particularly people who have not previously attended a meeting, to carefully read the original post for instructions about what is required to join us on Sunday. I may not have another opportunity to check the forum until Sunday.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone.

Posted by
17417 posts

I should be able to make it this Sunday. Please add me to to list.

Posted by
2 posts

Hi Andrea, I'd like to attend. Been a while, a few months. So I'll PM my email address to you just in case.

Posted by
2766 posts

making sure this moves to the top of the subject for tomorrow morning.

Here's a spin on the food topic -- do you always try the local specialties, even if they aren't things you would normally eat or drink?

Posted by
139 posts

Hope you still have room for one more!!!!

Posted by
10597 posts

We got home last night and after 24 hours of travel door to door with no sleep I managed to sleep 4 hours last night. I may have a nap in my future this afternoon. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in a few hours.

Posted by
315 posts

Hi, Andrea, I hope that you two had a great trip. FYI that I won’t be able to attend today’s meeting after all.

Posted by
10597 posts

Valerie, we had a great trip! Thanks for letting me know you can’t make it. I hope to see you next month.

Posted by
10597 posts

I’ve sent the link for the meeting. If you are having trouble logging in or didn’t get it please notify me before 9:15 so I can see what I can do. Thanks.

Posted by
33809 posts

we were talking about half term and kiddoes holidays.

a quick grab from one Council area, they vary a little around the country and from home Nation to home Nation, especially Scotland; and fee-paying schools (public schools as described) will also be slightly different::

Academic year 2024 – 2025
Autumn term 2024
Monday 2 September to Friday 20 December

Half term holiday: Monday 28 October to Friday 1 November
Christmas holiday: Monday 23 December to Friday 3 January
Spring term 2025
Monday 6 January to Friday 4 April

Half term holiday: Monday 17 February to Friday 21 February
Easter holiday: Monday 7 April to Thursday 17 April
Summer term 2025
Tuesday 22 April to Tuesday 22 July

Bank holidays: Friday 18 April and Monday 21 April
Bank holiday: Monday 5 May
Half term holiday: Monday 26 May to Friday 30 May
Summer holiday: Wednesday 23 July to Friday 29 August
Academic year 2025 - 2026
Autumn term 2025
Monday 1 September to Friday 19 December

Half term holiday: Monday 27 October to Friday 31 October
Christmas holiday: Monday 22 December to Friday 2 January
Spring term 2026
Monday 5 January to Friday 27 March

Half term holiday: Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February
Easter holiday: Monday 30 March to Friday 10 April
Bank holidays: Friday 3 April and Monday 6 April
Summer term 2026
Monday 13 April to Monday 20 July

Bank holiday: Monday 4 May
Half term holiday: Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May
Summer holiday: Tuesday 21 July to Friday 28 August

Posted by
2766 posts

thanks as usual to Andrea & Jim for bringing us together
for some fun stories and opinions, all potentially useful in future trips.

I didn't get to share one of my leftover Halloween jokes, so I'll do it here:

Where do witches do their research?

Wickedpedia.

Posted by
4803 posts

Well, since I cannot find that I wrote a trip report on my Dec. trip to London last year, here are a few notes.
Was there Nov. 29 - Dec. 5. with 3 friends.
Stayed in St.Simeon Hotel, using the Gloucester Road tube station.

Christmassy stuff:

Christmas at Kew Gardens

Westminster Abbey Christmas Advent Ceremony (everyone got a candle) Sunday, Dec. 3

A Christmas Carol panto at 7pm at the Old Vic. There’s a different Scrooge this year.
There appears to be other Christmas Carol shows.

Things we did that were enhanced by Christmas decorating: Harrods; Buckingham Palace tour; Windsor Castle; Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London.

Of course we did other things - but for 2 of my friends, it was a first visit to London, so no “discoveries”.

Posted by
4254 posts

As always, thank you Andrea and Jim for hosting these meetings, and thank you to all the attendees for sharing your stories and ideas.
After today’s meeting I want to visit London at Christmas time. I was thinking of some other places but I am not really interested in the markets, more of the decorations and atmosphere of the holiday. Our trip trip to Italy with friends for next September was pushed back to 2026 so I am thinking London but hubby wants to go to Turkey (he has a friend from work who just retired there and invited us over). Maybe I can convince him to visit both cities, we’ll see…..

Posted by
7966 posts

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful tips and ideas for traveling to London with tweens/teens! I have them all written down and am exploring them now. BTW, there is a laser still at Greenwich Park according to their website, which says, Visit the area after dark and you’ll see the symbolic green laser that beams out northwards along the Prime Meridian Line.

And of course, a big thanks to Andrea and Jim for hosting under extreme adverse jet lag conditions. You both rock!

It's always such a pleasure to chat with everyone and hear about your travels and ideas. Cheers!

Posted by
62 posts

I am going to echo what Mardee said….thanks to Andrea and Jim for organizing and hosting this meeting. I am always a zombie for the first few days after a trip but you were alert and active. Bravo!

Thanks as well for the suggestions for my holiday trip to London. I now have a ticket to Kew and hope to book seats for the panto at Old Vic and a choral concert at Royal Albert. In between I will be doing a lot of walking around, admiring decorations and finding smaller events to attend. If I can fit it in I will take a break from the holidays to go to Bletchley. I plan to do a trip report for those of you interested in a similar adventure.

Posted by
3479 posts

Yes, I can’t believe you were both not nodding off, Andrea and Jim! ;)
Thanks again for hosting.

Martha, there is a small gallery/museum in London called the Wallace Collection if you are looking for a new place to visit.
It’s in a lovely smaller building, had many lovely things to see, and a courtyard for lunch or afternoon tea.
It’s just a block or so behind Oxford Street.
No need to reserve, it’s not too busy.
When I went I think most of the visitors were British.
The docents will happily tell you the quite fascinating history of how the house and the collection came to be.

https://www.wallacecollection.org/explore/explore-in-depth/turner/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_qG5BhDTARIsAA0UHSK-l9V16I8G7WDhapHM2PPUSAB0AyS1Ib-ELXIL6dUTXV87XE11QvwaArmiEALw_wcB

Posted by
62 posts

Thanks, SJ! I will put it on my list of possibilities.

Incidentally, the lighting of the tree from Norway is the first Thursday of December.

Posted by
10597 posts

SJ, good call about the Wallace Collection. We really enjoyed it.